Author:Vancouver Health Coach

October 22, 2012 In Food and Recipes, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

The Ultimate Social Network: Our Bodies, Bacteria and Kombucha

In your body, bacteria cells out number your own cells by a factor of 10 to 1.  Some of these 100+ trillion bacteria possess genes that encode for beneficial compounds that the body cannot make on it’s own. Beneficial bacteria help with digestion, help our bodies make and absorb vitamins, and also help support a strong immune system. Other bacteria train the immune system not to overreact to outside threats and play a crucial role in the development and operation of your digestive tract. They also aid in the production of antibodies, proteins produced by the immune system to detect...

October 15, 2012 In Food and Recipes, Holistic Health, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Building Your Blood Ayurvedic Style: Blood Building Syrup

All systems of traditional medicine make extensive use of the medicinal properties of both fresh and dried fruit, cooked with water to make a compote, or prepared as medicinal jams and syrups, such as blood building syrup. Ayurveda maintains a large class of medicinal jams called lehyas, which means ‘to lick’, referring to the method of administration. While they aren’t exactly like deserts, compotes, jams and syrups are a very pleasant to get the medicine down, and are particularly suited to both vata and pitta conditions. The following Blood Building Syrup is an excellent preparation to help build up the...

September 28, 2012 In News, Spotlight, Yoga By Vancouver Health Coach

Yoga vs. Pilates: The Best Workout For Flexibility

There has to be amazing reasons why so many individuals choose either take yoga or pilates to get fit, tone up, and even lose a significant amount of weight. After countless attempts with lifting weights, running, and various other workout regiments, many are realizing the ultimate differences between yoga vs. pilates, and how each offer similar yet unique benefits. Certainly a majority of people will prefer to immediately start with the most effective form of exercise for them, instead of wasting time trying and learning just to give it up later. Most are not aware of the differences between the...

September 8, 2012 In Uncategorized By Vancouver Health Coach

Benefits for the Employee

A healthy lifestyle impacts every part of your day-to-day work environment. Corporate Wellness Programs translate into fewer injuries, less human error, and a more harmonious office environment. They also let you know that your organization is concerned about your general health and well-being. A good Corporate Wellness Program will also help reduce stress, which the United Nations has called "the 20th Century Disease." A large majority of office workers complain that their job is stressful - a problem that affects all levels within an organization. Stress from the workday also affects our personal relationships and activities. Human beings are just not designed to...

September 8, 2012 In Uncategorized By Vancouver Health Coach

Challenges for Employers

The corporate environment is unique and challenging – and forever changing; however there are some fundamentals that remain the same: the need to be productive and effective in reaching your business objectives and the necessity of having great employees to make that a reality. Employers must achieve both of these objectives without damaging the bottom line. As a part of their process, our clients have shared some of the following challenges/desires: Attracting and retaining the best and brightest talent Improving staff productivity Minimizing health care costs Minimizing WCB and extended claims Maintaining a highly motivated staff with good morale Promoting positive mental health and assisting those...

August 24, 2012 In Fitness, News, Spotlight By Vancouver Health Coach

Lessons from the Vancouver Grouse Grind

This morning I did the Grouse Grind. If you live in Vancouver, and possibly if you’ve visited Vancouver, you know about the Grouse Grind. Maybe you’ve made the climb. I find the Grind to be somewhat of a meditation for me. Yes, it’s challenging, but step after step after step, breath after breath after breath, becomes alternately a good thinking time and meditation for me. Here’s what I learned today. Lessons on the Grind as lessons in health and in life: 1. The hardest part of many journeys is making that first step.  I had planned to do the Grouse Grind many...

August 22, 2012 In News, Product Reviews, Spotlight, Supplements By Vancouver Health Coach

Does Grapefruit Seed Extract Really Work?

Today I stopped in at one of the local natural health pharmacies here in Vancouver, and saw one of the staff recommend a product called grapefruit seed extract (GSE) to a lactating mother whose baby was suffering from oral thrush (candidiasis).  Not to be confused with grape seed extract, which is commonly used as an antioxidant supplement, grapefruit seed extract is used as an all purpose antimicrobial in the natural health industry that is touted as being both safe and natural.  In 2005 the journal Medical Herbalism [2005:14(3)] printed a letter I wrote outlining the problems with grapefruit seed extract, which cited several...

August 10, 2012 In News, Running, Spotlight, Workouts By Vancouver Health Coach

Run Faster: The 30-20-10 Interval Training Formula Brings Big Benefits to Runners

Tried Tabata Training check. HIIT training check.  Yasso  800 repeat Training check.  So what is new to write about when I am running out of time to find a new challenge in my cardiovascular workouts? Well I can now give gratitude to the Danish, not for their delicious desserts, but for their research on a new running formula called the 30-20-10 or the 10-20-30 interval training method. The best part is you can complete this intense workout in less than 35 minutes. And it can be a total calorie burning blast. Exercise researchers at the University of Copenhagen, in Copenhagen Denmark,...

August 6, 2012 In Healthy & Inspired Living Contest By Vancouver Health Coach

The Top 5 Questions Your Personal Trainer Should Ask You

I often compare personal training to waiting tables.  The wait staff will recite the menu and talk about the specials almost effortlessly.  They will relentlessly ask if you want more water.  They will take care of all of the little things and form a relationship with you to give you a great experience.  At the end of the day, they want you to leave happy. Usually, when the experience is great the consumer might talk about their great time to someone on the car ride home.  Yet, if the experience is bad the consumer leaves upset.  They might complain to the...

June 4, 2012 In Ask The Expert: Health & Fitness Advice, Fitness, News, Spotlight, Workouts By Vancouver Health Coach

The Powerful Benefits of Plyometric Training

Summer months are near and the warm weather brings exercise participants out into the sunshine, surf, and sand. If you are pressed on time and interested in changing up your workout regimen to reap the results of a complete body transformation for improving fitness levels, exercise experts weight in on the benefits of plyometric training, as well as the risks to prevent injury, and examples of exercises that can be done anywhere sans expensive gym memberships. "Plyometric exercise is a conditioning format that is designed to improve muscular force and power through quick, powerful movements. When done correctly, over time it...